


The Ties That Bind

by Iciseria



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Anal Sex, Depression, Established Relationship, Kinky, M/M, Nipple Clamps, Risk Aware Consensual Kink, Rope Bondage, sex and love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:35:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28113975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iciseria/pseuds/Iciseria
Summary: “Seph, I’m fine,” he grumbled.  “Just let me read my book.”Sephiroth had seen it before, knew his tricks, could see through the façade.  Fine was not the same as good, much as glowing coals were not the same as roaring flames.  He drew close, threaded his long fingers into the silken strands of red, and made a fist.  “You can read when I’m done, if you’re still interested.”Because what better way to fall apart than while being meticulously wrapped in jute and... taken care of...?
Relationships: Genesis Rhapsodos/Sephiroth
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37





	The Ties That Bind

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this was originally posted as Chapter 6 of Red, White and Blonde. However, it was brought to my attention that neither the writing style nor the tone of this piece fit that collection whatsoever, and that it functioned much better as a standalone piece. After I looked at it again, I realized the recommendation was absolutely appropriate. To call it PWP isn't as accurate as calling it strong emotion "masquerading as porn."
> 
> This fic requires a couple of thank you's. The first is to my ever-present beta reader (even though this chapter hasn't been beta'd yet) and muse [ CoconutRum ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoconutRum). Thank you for understanding all the levels of this fic.
> 
> Another thank you goes out to [ Virtuous_contract ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/virtuous_contract) and to [ CateSith ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CateSith). I got stuck pretty hard about half-way through this one, and they helped inspire me to loosen up the gears. Thank you so much!

He was never sure why it happened, only that sometimes it did, and Sephiroth could see that it was happening again. Genesis, usually full of heat and fire, was burning down to a dull ember. It started with moodiness, bitten out replies and unnecessary swipes at his lovers that held no sass or playfulness. It progressed to withdrawal, an almost complete disengagement save the bare minimum interaction required to maintain a shell of a relationship. He wasn’t sure if Cloud noticed, though suspected he probably _did_ , just didn’t know how to respond. That was okay. Genesis wouldn’t have wanted Cloud to notice anyway, let alone react. Likely didn’t want _him_ to notice either, but that didn’t stop Sephiroth from noticing. Or from intervening.

“Genesis.” He kept his voice warm, but firm, leaving no room for protest, though that didn’t necessarily mean he wouldn’t _get_ a protest.

Genesis looked up from his well-worn copy of _Loveless_ , the glare on his face made less threatening by the dark circles of weariness under his eyes. Sephiroth knew he wasn’t interrupting anything, not really. Despite the book being held open, a page hadn’t been turned in long enough for him to know that his partner’s attention wasn’t on the text. Was his attention on anything at all? Likely not. Sephiroth would change that.

“Get up, Genesis.”

Though he closed the cover, the auburn-haired SOLDIER made no move to leave the couch, didn’t so much as swing a foot off the cushions. His already grim expression grew even more sullen. It could have been called a pout if it hadn’t held so much venom. Venom was the best concealer for exhaustion after all, laid upon a foundation of numb indifference. “Seph, I’m fine,” he grumbled. “Just let me read my book.”

Sephiroth had seen it before, knew his tricks, could see through the façade. Fine was not the same as good, much as glowing coals were not the same as roaring flames. He drew close, threaded his long fingers into the silken strands of red, and made a fist. “You can read when I’m done, if you’re still interested.”

There was a stiffening of muscles, at first, an all-over tension that threatened to fight him and his intentions. But that was the thing about exhaustion. Once it settled in, it could drain the fight out of even the strongest warriors, and Sephiroth felt it happen beneath his fingertips, evidence that at least some part of Genesis wanted this, whether he feigned resistance or not. A quiet sigh of resignation , and he felt his partner give himself over to the hold. The warlord let a few moments pass, a little time for his presence to sink in, to wash over, before he released his grip.

Slowly, as though the effort required was difficult to dig for, Genesis swiveled to bring his feet to the floor, never quite making eye contact. Sephiroth wondered what went through the man’s mind when he was this way. Did anything? His usually intense gaze seemed hollow, devoid of its intense passion, like he was looking through the world instead of at it. The rigidity in his posture when he stood had nothing to do with pride or confidence, more as though he would simply collapse if he didn’t stack his weight over his joints just so. And Genesis, lost for words? It wasn’t right.

“Bedroom, Gen.” He kept a hint of an edge to his voice, a delicate balance between tenderly warm and commandingly cold. Drift too far either way, and he wouldn’t be able to coax out the correct response.

Fortunately, Genesis simply obeyed, offering a brief glance and only the barest nod of his head before making his way to the other room. He hesitated at the threshold, but Sephiroth was at his back to usher him forward. The lights were low, the curtains drawn. A quiet, wordless melody was playing through the speakers, loud enough to provide a focus but not a distraction. Sephiroth had adjusted the thermostat, knowing that Genesis was prone to feeling chilled in this state. Yet one more reflection of dying flames.

Another pause. Trepidation tinging the air. Sephiroth stood close, running his hands along Genesis’s sides. He leaned in until silver mingled with crimson.

“It’s alright Genesis,” he soothed. “You know what I want you to do. Be good for me, sweetheart.”

Genesis shivered, warm air tickling his ear, strong palms tracing his ribs even through his soft, fluffy robe. With fingers weighted by the heaviness of the world, he untied the sash and unwrapped the plush fabric because yes, he knew what Sephiroth wanted him to do. The warlord peeled it away from his lean shoulders, much as he would peel away whatever tattered defenses remained. There wasn’t enough energy to struggle against it. Easier to let himself succumb to the powerful current of Sephiroth’s commands than try to swim against them.

“That’s it, Gen,” Sephiroth encouraged as Genesis pushed his pajama bottoms down, letting them fall to the floor in a loose heap. “On the bed.”

Stripped bare, Genesis sat cross-legged on the bed and watched blankly as Sephiroth shrugged out of his own top. He didn’t move when his lover joined him on the bed, didn’t react when his hair was tucked gently behind his ear. A compassionate partner masquerading as a ruthless military General, and Genesis had done nothing but ignore him or snap at him for the last few days. How ungrateful. How undeserving.

It was brief, but Sephiroth caught it. The way those blue eyes went glassy for a moment, the flicker of emotion across an otherwise flat expression. Not a positive emotion, but maybe one that needed to bubble up and spill over. He could help with that.

“Come on sweetheart,” he whispered as he grabbed a weighted blanket he had folded at the foot of the bed. Motioning the redhead over, Sephiroth leaned against a mound of pillows and made room between his legs. He hummed approvingly when the familiar form reclined against his chest, and he tugged the heavy blanket over their laps. This was progress. _Contact_ was progress.

From beneath a pillow, Sephiroth reached into the small pile of items he had clandestinely stashed, and withdrew a black strip of silk. He would let Genesis hide this way, offer him the perception of privacy without the loneliness of solitude. A few deft movements secured the fabric across his partner’s eyes. It was a shame to not be able to see into their sapphire depths, but worth the sacrifice if it helped Gen let go.

“Breathe with me,” he instructed, cradling the blindfolded head to his sternum. “You’re doing so well.”

Steady, even breaths, counted out silently. Slow and exaggerated, deep and deliberate, until his lover matched the pattern. It didn’t take long after that to feel Genesis’s resolve begin to crumble. Subtle tremors broke out along lithe limbs, the vibrations betraying feelings that, up until now, had been so carefully buried beneath the skin. Now, he just had to keep Genesis from running away from them, but that was a problem easily solved.

Sephiroth plucked another item from his pile, a length of jute, softened by hours upon hours of loving use. He looped a bit in one hand and used it to warn his partner about what was to come. Tenderly, he skimmed the rope along the long column of Genesis’s throat, over his muscled torso, letting it skirt beneath the edge of the blanket to tease hidden flesh. The response was immediate, a sharp inhale and a strong shudder. Signs of life drawn from a shell that had appeared hollow mere minutes ago.

He dragged the rope back up, lightly teasing a nipple, watching it harden beneath his gentle ministrations. Genesis arched against him, a soft sigh passing from his lips. Good. This was also progress, but progress wasn’t always gentle and tender. Sometimes it was difficult, painful, and that needed to be accepted as well. To demonstrate, Sephiroth took the loop of rope between both hands, pulled it tight, and slid it roughly across the other pink bud. Another sound emanated from his lover, more of a whimper this time, but it, too, was accompanied by an arch all the same.

“Are you ready, Genesis?” he asked. “Are you ready to be bound within yourself, by me and to me, and taken care of?” The words were a little too ritualistic, a bit too poetic for his personal tastes, but for somebody like Genesis, they were perfect.

His partner’s response was a testament to that. Auburn hair tickled Sephiroth’s chin as Genesis nuzzled against his chest. The barest hint of moisture was left against his skin, and Sephiroth pressed a warm kiss to his lover’s scalp, acknowledging the silent emotion.

“Yes, Sephiroth,” Genesis finally breathed, finding the strength to sit forward so that Sephiroth could extricate himself.

The warlord guided his blinded partner to his knees, then re-draped his lower half as well as possible to fend off any chill from creeping in. With great care, he began to build an intricate pattern around Genesis’s chest, letting the rope drag across his lover’s skin. The lightest shade of pink trailed behind, a path of warmth pulled to the surface of cold, creamy white. He wound and twisted, knotted and pulled. It was delicate work, and he took his time, happy to let Genesis soak in the sounds of music and the sensations he created.

Once he was satisfied with the harness, Sephiroth checked it over meticulously. No nerves were pinched. There was no evidence of poor blood flow. Genesis’s breathing was unrestricted. Though, to say that the fit was loose, would be wrong. No. The jute was wrapped tightly, not with the intention to suspend or to create discomfort, but to serve as a sort of embrace while Sephiroth attended to other matters. It would hold Genesis together even as he was pulled apart.

Sephiroth watched quietly for a few minutes as the head of silken red lulled forward, a sign that his lover was giving himself over to his bindings. Underneath the blindfold, there could be numbness or confusion, rage or tears. Judging by the subtle hitch in breathing, Sephiroth guessed the last. But whether his guess was correct or not didn’t matter. This wasn’t a time for words or explanations. This was a time to let go, something Genesis seemed loath to do without assistance.

“Hands, Genesis,” he purred. Simple instructions seemed best when Genesis shifted into this headspace, commands that required little explanation. So different for a man that usually seemed so wordy. A small, sad grin crossed Sephiroth’s features at the irony.

Genesis extended both hands, surrendering himself to Sephiroth’s guidance. The warlord took them and kissed each palm, a sign of gratitude for being trusted. He massaged the myriad small muscles, tight from day-to-day activities. Then, he pressed his lips to each fingertip, looking for… yes, there it was. A small shudder paired with a spattering of goosebumps. Some sign that a more pleasant feeling could penetrate whatever negativity was swirling inside his lover’s mind. Given that indicator, Sephiroth teased the last fingertip, tracing its length with his tongue and grazing the pad with his teeth. The soft moan that met his ears was a perfect reply.

With another length of jute, Sephiroth began to bind slender wrists together, marveling at how they could be so elegant and so powerful at the same time. This tie was simple, and required little concentration, merely a way to limit movement. He was slow and deliberate, nonetheless, mindful of both the tension in the rope and the tension that grew between them. 

A lovely flush was beginning to creep over Genesis’s skin, another sign of life that hadn’t been there of late. Sephiroth chased it, leaning in to place gentle kisses along his lover’s throat, following the path of pink from jaw to collarbone.

“You look beautiful like this,” he whispered. “If only you could see yourself.” See yourself the way I do, is what he didn’t say. See yourself the way Cloud sees you. In the same light and with the same level of caring and compassion. “Are you ready to lay back for me?”

Genesis nodded and allowed himself to be coaxed back to the mattress, a pillow placed beneath his head for comfort.

“And would you like me to cover you?” Sephiroth asked. He didn’t need to clarify that he would only cover what was already bound. After all, there was still cherished work to be done.

The quirk of a smile, true, not feigned, could be glimpsed at the corner of Genesis’s lips as he shook his head. It was beautiful and perfect, even in its wavering uncertainty, and the warlord couldn’t help but lean in to kiss one of those curved corners. He didn’t kiss deeply or passionately, too afraid to overwhelm the fragile moment, but imbued the gentle caress of lips with as much love and acceptance as he could.

Then, he turned his attention back to the mission at hand. Lightly, he trailed fingertips from Genesis’s inner thigh all the way to his foot, enjoying the ensuing shivers and goosebumps, and gently coaxed his knee to bend. Another tie, this one with the intention of immobilizing, was created. Fibrous filaments wound around thigh and calf alike, binding one to the other so that the slim yet muscular leg couldn’t extend.

Likely, that would have been enough. The pink tinge that was gradually creeping along Genesis’s body, along with the hardening flesh between his legs, was evidence that his body would comply with whatever Sephiroth requested of it. Still. Sephiroth was particular, a stickler for symmetry, and wouldn’t tolerate one limb being left without the appropriate corresponding art. He lavished attention upon this final limb as he bound it, much as he had lavished attention upon the final finger that he’d kissed. Licks, nibbles, suckles. Scratches and strokes. All number of affections. These were the silent commands that would free Genesis of his heavy emotional shackles and allow him to follow Sephiroth into brighter skies.

The warlord took a moment to appreciate his work. Genesis looked helpless, passive, and, finally, _finally_ , peaceful. The tight lines were gone from his forehead, though his eyes were still hidden behind midnight silk. Faint lines of moisture had dried on his cheeks, now rosy with arousal. Any stutter to his breathing was gone, replaced by a smooth and even pattern. His limbs were secured, keeping him both vulnerable and liberated, in a paradox between body and mind. To celebrate the achievement, Sephiroth let his hands rove over every bare inch of skin, drinking in each sigh and devouring every moan elicited by his touch.

“Do you want more, Gen?” he whispered, though he knew the answer. If the graceful arch of the redhead’s back and the splay of his legs weren’t enough of an indicator, the twitch of his turgid cock certainly was.

“Yes, yes, yes, Seph,” Genesis begged, voice barely audible, even to enhanced senses. “Please, more. _Please_.” 

There was more passion in that quiet plea than Sephiroth had seen or heard in weeks, and that meant everything.

“Alright. Patience my dear, sweet, Genesis,” he purred. “I’ll take care of you.” It was a both a promise and a threat, for the pleasure he swore to deliver was sure to leave his lover bare of any remaining defenses.

Sephiroth stripped out of his pants and sprawled himself alongside Genesis, crowding close so that his own arousal would be evident against his lover’s hip. His hair fell where it willed, long strands tickling and tangling over both bodies, and he noticed the way Genesis took some to idly twirl between his fingers. Perhaps it was a comfort, the texture or even the simple mindless act of fidgeting, or maybe it was an exertion of some small modicum of control. He wasn’t sure, but he knew that it made him smile to see his lover latch on to even this part of him.

While Genesis played with Sephiroth’s hair, Sephiroth played with Genesis. He traced lazy circles around each nipple, careful to draw away any time the redhead tried to shift for more contact. Occasionally, he’d scrape a nail over one or barely pinch the other and note the way Genesis bit his lip to keep from whimpering with want.

“Let go, Gen,” he instructed in his rich baritone. “I want to hear you.”

Sephiroth dropped his hand lower, following the lines of Genesis’s abdomen before finally palming his erect length. In this, he was equally as patient. His touches were frustratingly light at first, more a radiated transference of heat than any satisfying contact, and he watched Genesis’s muscles dance with the effort of fighting the impulse to thrust. When, at last, he closed his hand and began to stroke, the warlord ground his hips against the redhead’s side at the same languid pace, setting an easy rhythm for them both until a low groan slipped from his lover’s lips.

If the Genesis from the couch had been night, cold, dark, and quiet, then the Genesis tied before him was surely day, bright and full of life and energy. It was impossible to have one without the other, so Sephiroth gladly accepted both. Though he still missed the sunlight during night’s darkest hours and was always more than happy to help usher in a fresh dawn. 

As Genesis began to shift more restlessly, Sephiroth drew his hand still lower, his fingers trailing and teasing until they came to rest against puckered flesh.

“And this would be alright as well?” he asked. While he was fairly certain about this, too, best not to assume lest his partner was feeling even more fragile than he’d let on.

Fortunately, Genesis responded with a small smirk and the most characteristic comment he’d made in days. “More than alright, darling, unless you’re intending to ride me while I’m all trussed up.”

Sephiroth chuckled in both amusement and relief as he grabbed the lube and slicked his fingers. Just because Genesis had started to sharpen his tongue, didn’t mean the warlord would give up his painstakingly slow preparations. He gently massaged the tight opening, barely dipping a fingertip in before withdrawing and circling again. The press of Genesis’s bound leg against Sephiroth’s thighs as the man tried to make himself more accessible, coupled with the whining noise in the back of his throat, belied his building desperation. 

Only then did Sephiroth acquiesce, plunging a digit deep and curling it just right to make his lover arch and hiss. Cleverly, he rubbed and adjusted pressure, seemingly more in tune with the redhead’s body than with any other shred of reality. Genesis’s limbs strained against the jute, such that his skin was sure to sport the most elegant red markings for a few hours after they were done, and viscous pearls began to drip from his swollen cock to his lean abdomen.

One finger became two, and seconds became agonizing minutes. Genesis, of course, became impatient, rocking his hips in a futile quest for more and more quickly, only to have the rope binding his wrists fixed to the headboard as reprimand. Gods, the whining and whimpering and frustrated growls were so much better than the numb silence that had resonated of late.

With Genesis tied helplessly like this, torso elongated, arms stretched above his head, and completely unable to extend his legs, Sephiroth found him deliciously irresistible. It would be easy to simply play for hours on end, a lazily sadistic cat toying with a restless mouse, and he made a mental note to do so when the mood didn’t feel quite so precarious. Still, perhaps he could get away with just a _little_ play, a brief game, something that would hone Genesis’s attention still farther. After all, it was Genesis who always insisted that play was the necessary counterbalance to work.

Idly, he began to spread his fingers, completing his calculated and methodical preparations while he mulled over the various options available to him. Something simple. Something to elicit more of those beautiful sounds. Something that would contrast the cozy cocoon of ropework he’d so carefully wrapped around the redhead. Something that would shatter any remnants of that façade of “fine.”

Genesis hissed at the ensuing emptiness, mewling melodramatically as Sephiroth’s warmth pulled away and rolled from the mattress. “Wait, Seph, no! _Please_ , don’t just leave me like this!”

Sephiroth smirked. It wasn’t that he’d _never_ torment Genesis by forcing him (suggesting really, SOLDIER strength and jute being a clear mismatch) to remain in such a state for a time. It simply wasn’t in the plan for _today._ He didn’t say anything, though, while he proceeded to rifle through the dresser drawers in search of the perfect implement, preferring to let Genesis’s anticipation build anyway. The glint of a small silver chain caught his eye, and he gathered it into his palm as quietly as he could. Best not to show his cards before he played them lest he lose the element of surprise.

When he crawled up the foot of the bed to settle himself between the redhead’s legs, he saw a shiver of desire pass through the bound form. He planted a trail of pecks and licks up the pale skin until their lengths brushed together and their lips finally met.

Genesis kissed like a starving man devouring a feast, hurried and desperate. Sephiroth allowed it, but only for so long. Then, he took over, dominating the exchange and slowing it from something frantic and messy to something deep and possessive. He rutted against the man below him, a promise to give them both what they needed.

Eventually.

When Genesis gasped for air, Sephiroth moved back down, sucking and biting at the skin along his lover’s throat, leaving a series of red and purple marks to complement the perfect flush of arousal. Meanwhile, he manipulated the chain hidden in his palm. For the briefest of moments, he allowed the light metal to tickle his partner’s skin, enough time to hint but not enough to reveal. Then he fixed the clamp on one end to a hardened nipple.

_“AH! Ow! Fuck_ , Seph!” Genesis cried out in surprise and welcome pain. He inhaled deeply enough and writhed hard enough that the harness about his chest seemed to grow tighter, providing a soothing embrace to comfort him through his tortuous pleasure. “Sadistic… bastard…” he pouted between gasps.

“You would resent me if I took it too easy on you,” Sephiroth purred, flicking the clamp to make Genesis squirm and moan. The redhead could swear and pout all he wanted, but there was no denying the telltale press of the man’s cock against Sephiroth’s abdomen with each merciless maneuver. 

After affixing the second clamp, the warlord continued his cruel toying. Though, it was hard to call it cruel when it was so obviously what his partner craved and needed. He tugged and tapped and nudged until Genesis was panting and breathless, the man’s body flinching at even the suggestion of more vicious teasing. Only then did he finally slick himself and begin to nudge against his lover’s well-prepared hole.

Sephiroth paused at the feel of reflexive tensing and took the time to fondly run his hands along heaving ribs, silently waiting for an acknowledgement of readiness. It was possible he had been a touch rougher than necessary if he were receiving this reaction, but to break and mend Genesis was a tenuous affair. He wasn’t sorry and wouldn’t apologize, not for doing what was necessary. Besides, an apology would likely be unwelcome.

Permission was granted in the form of a soft hum and a nod of the head, and Sephiroth slowly rolled his hips forward, seating himself deep within the warm tightness of his lover. Together, they groaned, both content to feel alive and connected again. Surely, they savored the physical pleasure, but the emotional relief that washed through each of them was far more satisfying. Sephiroth wasn’t entirely sure he believed in the Goddess that Genesis referred to, but while he allowed time for adjustment with his head bowed and his hair forming a curtain around his face, he silently thanked her anyway.

“Seph, don’t stop!” Genesis pleaded, canting his hips to spur movement. It didn’t work as expected.

Sephiroth tugged lightly on the chain connecting the clamps, causing Genesis to clench and whimper. “So very demanding,” he rumbled, as though the demands were even remotely unwanted. “I’ll be setting the pace tonight.” With that, he pulled his hips back gently, then snapped them forward, an example of exactly the pace he intended to set.

Genesis tossed his head and strained against his bonds, helpless to do anything but receive what Sephiroth offered him. A steady stream of moans spilled forth as his body was jarred against the mattress by powerful thrusts, the smooth melody interrupted by the occasional harsh cry of sinful, twisted pleasure as his chest was tortured.

The warlord exulted in the wanton sounds. These were the sounds his lover needed to make, but for some reason, hadn’t been able to until Sephiroth ripped them from him. Cries, shouts, yells, screams even. Uninhibited and pure. Passionate and full of bottled emotion. This was the required shattering. Painful, maybe. Uncomfortable, perhaps. A necessary catharsis, absolutely.

He could tell, by the way Genesis was contracting tightly around him, writhing and arching spastically, that the man wouldn’t be far off if he were only granted friction. As responsive as Genesis tended to be, perhaps even if he weren’t granted the friction. But, Sephiroth wasn’t sure it was time yet. He needed his lover boneless and completely drained of all the negative energy he’d been harboring in order to rebuild properly. Otherwise, any lingering scrap of darkness would taint whatever new life was breathed into him. To pull the redhead back from the edge, he slowed his movements and wrapped his thumb and forefinger around the base of the man’s leaking cock.

“Ah ah,” he chided. “Just a little longer, Gen. With me, or not at all,” Sephiroth warned, squeezing just tightly enough to earn a pained whimper.

He adjusted both his angle and his pace to something gentler, where he could focus more on the way their skin rubbed together and less on the way he was relentlessly pounding against Genesis’s most sensitive places. He drew their bodies close, letting his presence overwhelm the man below him, shielding him from the world while pinning him against the mattress. It was possessive and protective, sensual and fierce. These were the times when Sephiroth felt most useful, not when he was leading Shinra’s armies to victory, but when he could actually take care of someone close to him in the deepest of ways.

Whether it was the physical or the mental feeling that made all the heat in his body creep toward his groin, Sephiroth couldn’t tell, but he transitioned from pulling Genesis away from the edge to pushing him closer, stroking him in time with the movements of their hips. He had promised together, and together it would be, because that’s what they were. Together. In all of it, even in this. 

Everything seemed to tighten in slow motion as they vocalized to and at and with each other. Names and words were shouted into the air around them. Muscles clenched and bodies convulsed. Vision, hearing, taste, and smell. It all went to static as sensation narrowed down to only feeling. Explosive feeling. The feeling of release. Of catharsis. Of letting go.

Sephiroth let his weight settle onto Genesis as they fought to catch their breath, their hearts beating against one another’s and their sweat mingling. Once he felt the man beneath him go limp, he removed the clamps from reddened nipples as carefully as he could, soothing the tender nubs with his fingertips and whispering words of comfort. As he slipped himself free, he could feel Genesis shivering against him, the mixture of cold, exhaustion, and emotion hitting all at once.

“Are you okay, Gen?” he asked, sincerity and concern pouring from him. “Do you need me to cut the ropes?”

“N-no,” Genesis answered, teeth chattering slightly. “I’m okay.”

As deftly as he had tied them, Sephiroth unwound the ropes from Genesis’s body, legs first, then wrists, and massaged the areas of jute-marked skin. The blindfold, he would leave, in case his lover wasn’t ready to fully acknowledge his presence, though he tapped it lightly to indicate its optionality. He pulled Genesis particularly close as he removed the chest harness, determined to replace the fibrous embrace with a more substantial one.

A soon as the redhead regained control of his limbs, he tugged the strip of silk from his face. The evidence of moisture, both fresh and dried, was apparent. Sadness. Anger. Relief. It didn’t matter. It was out. The dam was broken, and whatever had been behind it had been released.

Sephiroth leaned in, kissing away any water that remained with feather-light brushes of his lips. The evidence of their coupling was wiped away with a corner of the sheet. The mess wasn’t important because linens could always be washed. It was far more crucial to make Genesis feel safe and cared for, cherished unconditionally, for he wasn’t replaceable.

Pulling the comforter over them both, Sephiroth drew Genesis’s shivering form close and wrapped around him so that their limbs intertwined, so that it would be difficult for an outsider to extricate one from the other. He felt his lover snuggle into the warmth he emanated, the quaking coming to a halt beneath his touch. Despite his curiosity, he would never ask what had happened to bring them to this point, trusting that Genesis would tell him when and if he felt comfortable.

Instead, he began to quote. “There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess. Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds.”

Cerulean eyes finally opened to stare at him. They were beautiful, no longer glazed over by numbness. “Are you reading _Loveless_ to me?” Genesis asked, taken aback by the familiar words.

“Quoting, actually,” Sephiroth chuckled. “I interrupted your latest read through. And since you’ve been beating it into my head, I think I remember most of it.”

Genesis was speechless, but in a manner completely unlike before. This was a contented speechless. A loss for words spurred by joy and surprise instead of despair. “Thank you,” the redhead whispered softly, gratitude for far more than just the quote of a poem.

Sephiroth didn’t say anything back, didn’t need to. He needed no thanks, not for this. For no matter how many times it happened or how long each “episode” lasted, he would always help Genesis through the dark times, knowing Genesis would do the same for him. Because that’s what they were. Together. In all of it.

**Author's Note:**

> From the lovely SonicoSenpai: Oh my goodness. This was such a fantastic read! (I was saving it for some quiet time of my own and I am SO glad I did.) I think the feelings and intentions that come across from Seph toward Genesis are so incredibly warm and powerful. Perhaps you didn’t like sticking to one person’s POV, but it WORKS so well with this chapter. And it was incredibly wonderful to read.
> 
> While the bondage itself didn’t come across as kinky as prior chapters in this fic, I think the reasons behind this particular action sort of replaced the feelings I look for in reading this sort of smut. Smut with feelings—I guess you could call it, but this is much more smut with purpose. Almost as if the feelings you describe are themselves what is kinky? Maybe it’s because it’s from Seph’s POV?
> 
> I really, really enjoyed this!
> 
> You are absolutely right, Sonico. This was not nearly as hot or blatantly kinky (in perhaps the 'traditional' sense?) as the other chapters. Between you and Virtuous, I decided to pull this out to stand alone. Didn't want anybody looking for smut for smut's sake to walk away with accidental heavy feels. 2020 has too many heavy feels as it is.


End file.
